Bold claim: Layabout isn’t just quirky — he’s a rising force with international reach. The Tropical Park Derby, a $125,000 stakes on December 13, may not have topped the U.S. charts, but across the Atlantic in London, anticipation was mounting for Kevin Doyle and his stable manager, Andy Smith, as they watched their 3-year-old Kentucky homebred, Layabout, surge to the front in the final sixteenth and narrowly fend off a late push from Tiz Dashing to win by a nose over 1 1/16 miles.
After the photo confirmed the victory and the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle celebration faded, trainer Patrick Biancone phoned with congratulations. “We had a laugh,” Smith recalled. “On to the next one. January 24, we’re hoping.” That date marks the Pegasus World Cup Turf (G1T) at Gulfstream, a $1 million target that may serve as a springboard to international ambitions in the Middle East in the months ahead — ambitions that would spotlight Doyle’s Scotland-based Newbyth Stud operation.
Doyle has long balanced entertainment and real estate with a tenacious interest in Thoroughbred breeding. In Scotland he keeps mares at Floors Castle and, alongside, maintains two or three mares in Kentucky under the watch of Peter O’Callaghan at Woods Edge Farm. “He’s deeply involved, but more an investor than anything else,” Smith explained. “He enjoys it, and we try to turn a profit where we can. He likes turnover. We’ve kept breeding stock in America and sold them frequently.”
Doyle’s footprint in American bloodstock is notable: he was an original owner of Trolley Song, dam of 1995 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) winner and influential sire Unbridled’s Song, and he bred War Plan, a Grade 3-placed runner sold for $700,000 at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Florida Select 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Today one of Doyle’s Woods Edge mares is Batalla Sindical, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Big Brown who raced in Argentina. Smith pursued the purchase because Batalla Sindical is a half-sister to 2019 Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) winner Blue Prize, both out of Blues For Sale. The pedigree gained even more strength when another half-sister, Blue Stripe, won the 2022 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) and was nosed by Malathaat in the Distaff.
Layabout’s dam, Batalla Sindical, produced Layabout via a mating with Laoban — a pairing that came about almost by chance when the mare’s travel to the United States was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. With stallion options limited by budget, Smith, at the suggestion of friend Omar Trevino, chose Laoban as the sires’ line. Batalla Sindical was entered in the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale while carrying Layabout, but a cyst forced her to RNA for $130,000. That setback transformed into a boon when Layabout proved to be a strong, good-looking foal that Doyle and Smith decided to train themselves.
Layabout’s training path was unconventional and opinions varied. In Gulfstream’s dirt program under Brian Lynch, the colt failed to win his first three starts. Yet early speed and the caliber of his two maiden foes—future Preakness starters River Thames and Gosger—hinted at hidden potential. “He’s a bit of a strange horse,” Smith admitted. “He does things his own way. When he hits the front, he eases up. He’s awkward at the gate, awkward in the mornings.”
With Gulfstream’s Championship Meet winding down and progress stalled, Smith kept Layabout in Florida and enlisted Patrick Biancone, a trainer known for his patient approach. “Would you mind taking this horse? He can run a bit, but we can’t get him to go,” Smith recalled. Biancone treated Layabout with care and discovered subtle adjustments that unlocked his talent, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Biancone’s method paid off quickly: Layabout won his maiden on the synthetic surface, then captured two turf races, including the Bear’s Den Stakes in August. A spring to Kentucky Downs followed, where Layabout ran a closing fourth in the Gun Runner Stakes, a $2 million sprint. Returning to Gulfstream for the Showing Up Stakes on November 1, Layabout surged to the lead in the home stretch but was caught in the final strides by Souper Forces, losing by a half-length.
Smith recalls that Layabout “hit the front and was cruising, then he plants his toe and eases up.” Junior Alvarado rode him in the Tropical Park Derby, and the ride was flawless. As Layabout took the lead, the final yards became a test of endurance, and he clung to the advantage by a-nose over Tiz Dashing’s furious late bid. Alvarado’s praise was clear: he loves the horse and believes he’s a really good one; time will tell, Smith said, stressing Patrick Biancone’s patient, disciplined approach and global experience.
With three wins in four Gulfstream Park grass starts, the team remains hopeful for an invitation to the Pegasus Turf. Despite Layabout’s quirks, confidence runs high that he possesses genuine talent capable of competing at the highest levels and carrying that form overseas to Saudi Arabia and Dubai.
“These results don’t fully reflect his potential,” Smith insisted. “He’s a 3-year-old gelding showing real form. We want him to excel because we have more strong stock in the pipeline from the mare. There’s a lot to come, so we’ll keep experimenting.”
Newbyth Stud still owns Batalla Sindical’s 2-year-old Cupid filly, a Practical Joke yearling filly, and a Gunite foal who all stand out in Smith’s descriptions as especially promising. The mare is in foal to Gunite once again, signaling hopes of continued success from Layabout’s esteemed bloodline.
